mantener

Mantener is a Spanish verb with several related senses, including to keep, to maintain, to sustain, to support someone financially, and to uphold a belief or position. It is used transitively with a direct object or with a clause, and it also has a reflexive form.

Etymology: Mantener comes from Latin manu tenēre, literally “to hold in the hand,” through Old Spanish mantene(r) and into Modern Spanish maintaining the sense of supporting or keeping up something or someone.

Conjugation: Mantener is an irregular -er verb. In the present indicative the forms are mantengo, mantienes, mantiene, mantenemos, mantenéis, mantienen. The yo form mantengo is irregular, and the stem changes in the present tense for most forms. Other tenses follow standard -er endings, with forms such as mantuve, mantuviste, mantuvo, mantuvimos, mantuvieron (preterite); mantenía, mantenías (imperfect); mantendré, mantendrás (future); mantendría, mantendrías (conditional).

Common uses: Transitive uses include mantener algo, meaning to keep something in a given state or to preserve its condition (mantener la casa en buen estado). It also means to support someone financially (mantener a la familia). It can denote upholding a claim, idea, o posición (mantener que…).

Reflexive use: Mantenerse means to stay or remain in a certain condition or state, such as mantenerse en forma or mantenerse a flote.

Related terms: The noun for maintenance is mantenimiento (or mantención in some dialects). Synonyms include sostener, conservar, preservar. See also: mantenerse, sostenimiento.